I'd love to get up there. Yes $$$ is a factor, but in addition to that is having a one year old little girl. So time is a real factor for me. I figure head up there when I can do it right, either as part of a family trip or as a get-away with my brother and/or some friends. For now, I'm busy enough exploring all Colorado has to offer, not to mention getting to Wyoming, Montana, etc etc. Someday though, someday...

Last trip I made to Alaska was in 2007. The last few years the only thing that has kept me from going have been pesky medical issues. This year is blocked, but I am thinkling 2013 is the right year (if the knee replacement rehab is successful). I still have enough frequent flyer miles to cover the basic airfare, so after that it is just those few other costs (lodging, food, transportation, license, and possibly some guides)! I am eager to return!

In the meanwhile, Ard's posts & photos will have to continue to raise my spirits!

Because I heard Bigfoot lives there. Scary! All kidding aside, I may have to make a trip up there. I really don't have a lot of excuses. I may have to time it according to what they decide to do with my back though.

I was very close to heading up there two years ago when I had 17 days off, but we decided to do Yellowstone, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming tour instead. I enjoy the drive to a place nearly as much as I enjoy the destination but I would have to make an exception for AK. So....airfare, rental car, guide, liscenses, etc., and Grayling MI in April looks pretty darn good. I get there for about $35 in the Yaris with the trout stickers on the back and camp in the state forest land for free. Costs me about $100 instead of $3000.

I went on a DIY trip in 2005. Late June, early July 2 weeks in an RV rented out of Anchorage and headed to the Kenai peninsula. I learned a lot on that trip. Caught some fish but should have caught more. Did plenty of sight seeing also.

Then I went back in 2006 for 2 weeks selecting August/September time frame. We caught so many pinks and a few silvers. After that I was hooked.

I went back in 2008 for the summer. Took 4 weeks to drive up from Maryland. I fished many different bodies of water. Many days I had the water to myself. Spent a lot of time on the river also. Best day in the boat was 102 legally hooked pink salmon. Had a few silvers in there also.

In 2009 & 2010 I volunteered with the state parks. Spent a summer in Seward and the other summer in Kethikan. Hiked and fished all over the place. Caught a lot of different species of fish using lots of different techniques. I had a few friends come up and stay with me. They took advantage of the situation with me being there.

If your credit card has air miles you can fly up very reasonably. We spent $50 for tickets one year using miles. Once you are in AK, if you go the RV route you can really save some money by cooking your own meals. Some nights you can camp dry lakeside or in a pull out for free.

2 people in a motorhome for 2 weeks can be done for under $2,000 total.

Money (lack of it), time, AND the fact that I live in a region that has arguably comparable quality of fishing opportunities. It's beautiful in many places here, but I'm sure it's not comparable to AK. However, you'd be hard pressed to beat the year-round diversity and quality of fishing that we have here in Western NY. Shshshshsh! It's a secret... I do hope to make it up to AK to fish at some point in my life.

It's not the cost so much, we rack up a lot of airline miles, hotel and rental car rewards, so the getting there isn’t that much. It’s just that there are a lot of places that we haven’t been to yet and plenty of places that we just couldn’t go without fishing every year. We also share a tendency to plan trips to places that others might find uncomfortably hot ( We thrive on 80 to 105 degrees ). So I guess Alaska’s more a matter of. getting it on to the priority list and getting some new long woolies.

It’s February 17, it’s going to be around 70 degrees here today without a cloud in the sky and we have our choice of steelhead, wild trout or black bass this afternoon, in shorts and short sleeves.
How’s the weather and the fishing around your parts today Ard?

By the way, thanks for taking care of that other thing.
Best wishes, TT

2 people in a motorhome for 2 weeks can be done for under $2,000 total.

I'm not sure how you do your math, maybe you counted free airline tickets into you calculations. From what I can see it is a 1200 flight for 2. I dont' see any way to rent an RV, eat, sleep and fish for $800.

I am in no way bemoaning my lot in life, because there are about 6 billion people in the world who would love to trade places with me, but $2000-3000 is a very expensive vacation as far as my bank account is concerned. I've never been on a $2000 vacation anywhere. When we went 17 days through Montana, Yellowstone, Idaho, and Wyoming we spent 16 of our 17 days in a tent and ate from a cooler in the hatch of my Toyota Yaris.